Materials such as fabrics and wallpaper, for example, are commonly displayed in retail stores in the rolled form in which they are provided by the producer. Because these rolls are often quite sizable, however, the display of the rolls can require a great amount of store floor space. Therefore, the number of rolls of material which have been able to be displayed by a store has been limited greatly due to space constraints of the store.
Conventionally, rolls of fabric are displayed on A-frame racks. The racks include a plurality of rods mounted horizontally thereon and a roll of fabric is placed on each rod in order to be mounted on the rack. The rolls are mounted one above the other in a vertically spaced relationship. While this method of display allows a good view of the fabric, this requires a great deal of space since the height of the racks is limited due to visibility requirements of the consumers and the width must be such that the wide rolls of fabric can be accommodated. For example, rolls of fabric typically are provided in standard widths of 54 and 60 inches wide; therefore the display of the rolls can be extremely space consuming. The distribution of fabric material from these racks requires that the clerk remove the fabric roll from the rack and carry it to a cutting table, where the fabric is measured, and cut to the desired length. The roll must then be remounted onto the rack by the clerk.
This material distribution method, however, can represent significant problems. For example, the removal of the roll can be difficult and even dangerous for the clerk, particularly if the roll is mounted near the top of the rack, because of the roll weight and size. Because the clerks must be able to reach the top rolls and remove them from the rack, the height of the rack is extremely limited. In addition, the necessity for cutting tables results in the waste of valuable store floor space. Further, the excess handling of the fabric rolls often results in the fabric or other rolled goods becoming soiled and therefore unsalable.
Another common technique of displaying fabric is in bolt form wherein the fabrics conventionally are folded in half, then wrapped around a rectangular cardboard support. The bolts of fabric are then typically placed side-by-side in a vertical position in a rack. This technique, however, fails to provide good visibility of the fabrics, and the fabrics can become damaged when the bolts are placed in and removed from the racks. In addition, because the customers themselves often remove and replace the bolts, it can be difficult to maintain the fabrics in a selected arrangement or even in the desired rack. In order to distribute the fabric, the bolts are lifted out of the frame and carried to a cutting table where the fabric is then unrolled, measured and cut to the desired length. Because this can be physically taxing to the store clerks, the risk of injury is increased. Further, the necessity for having periodically spaced cutting tables represents a great waste of floor space for the store.
Neither the rack nor the bolt method of displaying rolls of material such as fabric discussed above provides an aesthetically pleasing means of fabric display. First of all, because the same types of materials are commonly grouped together in order that the variety of colors in which they are available may be displayed, customers must wander up and down the aisles between the racks to search for materials which complement each other. Because the racks tend to be so space-consuming, as discussed above, this can represent a significant path of travel for the customer. In addition, the conventional material display arrangements fail to provide any guidance for the consumer as to which materials work well together from a design perspective.
A further problem with the typical fabric display methods and apparatus is the failure to provide an easy way for the customer to obtain a swatch of the fabric. Typically, when a customer sees a roll of fabric that the customer likes, either the customer or the store clerk cuts a piece from the roll or bolt. This results in an uneven cut edge on the roll of fabric. As a result, when a customer later wishes to purchase some of that fabric, the clerk is forced to trim the fabric to provide a straight edge in order to provide the customer with the full length of fabric to be purchased. This can result in a significant expense which must be borne by the store, particularly since some fabrics tend to be extremely expensive.
Thus, a need exists for an apparatus and method for displaying and dispensing material from rolls which provide good visibility of the material and easy dispensing of such, without requiring a large amount of store floor space. In addition, a need exists for an apparatus and method for displaying materials where coordinated materials can be displayed together so as to provide design guidance to the consumer and an aesthetically pleasing display of the materials.